Understanding
by Josaphine
Summary: SG-1 has stumbled on the universes greatest secret. They are now charged with it's protection... Of course this secret can change life as SG-1 knows it... or just destroy it! Timeline: Sam's a major and Daniel's been dead at least once.
1. Discovery

**Chapter 1:**

**The Discovery**

Colonel Jack O'Neill knew it was not going to be his mission the minute he stepped through the gate. A desert planet greeted him, with nothing to see for miles except sand and of course the ruins they came to explore.

Sitting on a hot, dry, dusty planet looking for Daniels 'rocks' was not Jack idea of excitement. Kicking alien butt then celebrating by watching the Simpsons and having a beer, now that was fun. But babysitting in a desert for days on end while Dr. Daniel Jackson looked for artifacts and ancient writing was not his cup of tea.

Unfortunately, life couldn't always be fun. So here he was finding sand in every crevice, watching Major Samantha Carter take readings and gather soil samples to take back to the Stargate Command, while Teal'c made sure Danny didn't touch anything. Now that he thought about it; there were worse ways to pass the time than watching Carter.

"I've got something!" Daniel Jacksons shout interrupted Jack's musings. "There seems to be some kind of cover stone here!" Daniel excitedly brushed dirt away from the edges of a small manhole sized cover stone. The stone was in an area in between three large pillars set near each other in a roughly triangular shape. The tops of the stones were bridged by large flat stone. The overall impact was similar to the Stonehenge ruins on Earth.

"Daniel Jackson, I believe caution is in order." Teal'c leaned over Daniel reminding him of Jack's standing order not to lay a hand on anything. "The writing; it's beautiful! At first glance, it seems to be Sumerian, but the style is not right for that."

"Daniel, be careful. Don't touch anything!" Jack snapped as he and Carter hurried over to join Daniel and Teal'c. "Yes, Jack." The annoyance in Daniels voice was tempered only by his amusement at Jacks parenting. He really did treat him like a kid sometimes. "It'll take me a while to decipher this writing." Jack interrupted with a sarcastic, "How long, Danny?" The thoughts of home, Simpsons and beer flying right out of his head. "It will only take a few hours at most Jack. You do know this is what we came here for, right?" Daniel and Sam began taking rubbings of the writing for future reference. "Hey, I'm all for rocks Danny, as long as they lead us to big honkin' space guns."

Sam watched the banter back and forth between her CO and Daniel. From the outside someone might think that they didn't get along. They were constantly bickering. In reality, though, they were closer than brothers. Sam's chalk caught on something grabbing her attention. "Hey, Daniel, look at this! This edge isn't smooth like the others. It looks like the stone may have been broken here." Daniel reached over and ran his hand along the rough spot, his fingers catching in what felt like a crack in the stone. Sam and Daniel both jumped back quickly as the cover slid swiftly to the side and a black hole appeared in the ground before them.

"Holy, Hannah!" Sam yelped.

"Daniel, what have I told you about touching! No touching!" Jack shouted as he pulled the excited Daniel further away from the hole. "Don't you want to investigate it, Jack?"

"Well of course I do Danny, but not until you know just exactly what the cover stone says. I don't want anyone going down in that hole without knowing what we are getting into, got that?"

"Yes, Sir." Carter answered quickly.

"Indeed." Teal'c replied with a slight bow.

"Ja-ack!"

"Ah-ah!" Jack interrupted, shaking his finger at Daniel. "No arguments. You want to explore, you find out what that rock says."

"Alright, Jack."

"Carter, we're due for a scheduled contact with the SCG in 15 minutes. You and I will head back to the Stargate to check in with Hammond. Daniel, get to work on that translation. The sooner we know what it says the sooner we can explore that hole. Teal'c, make sure he doesn't touch anything else."

"I will endeavor to keep Daniel Jackson from coming in tactile contact with anything harmful, O'Neill."

"Thanks, T."

"You are most welcome, O'Neill."

"Let's head out, Carter." Carter nodded her consent and began the mile trek toward the gate.

Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter only made thirty yards before hearing Daniel's shout and Teal'c's response "Daniel Jackson, you must step away from the artifact!"

General Hammond was always anxious when his people were off world; he felt personally responsible for their safety. It was a little more personal when SG-1, his flagship team, was involved. Even when a mission was expected to be peaceful, they somehow managed to find trouble. Currently, SG-1 was 10 minutes over due for their scheduled check in; that was never a good sign.

"Walter, has there been any word from Colonel O'Neill?" General Hammond asked of Walter Davis the resident gate technician and constant at the SGC. "No, Sir. We haven't heard from them. Would you like me to attempt to make contact, Sir?" Walter looked hesitantly at the General. He always got a little cranky when SG-1 was unaccounted for. "Give them a five more minutes, and then dial the gate." Hammond sighed. It just never could be easy, could it?

"Yes, Sir." Walter replied.

Hearing Tealc's shout, both Jack and Sam rushed back toward Daniel. The symbols on the cover stone began to glow. They became so bright that they burned into Daniels vision leaving the imprint of the symbols in his sight. He stood transfixed, unable to move or cover his eyes.

"Daniel Jackson, you must move away from this device." Teal'c attempted to pull Daniel away from his place by the cover stone by force, to no avail. Daniel had taken on the same appearance as a person in an Assgard pod. Daniel began to experience something similar to the Tokra's memory recall device. He experienced his lifetime, every decision, in fast forward. His parents death came and went, the first mission to Abydos, his marriage to Share', the day he joined SG-1, every second was relived; right up until the moment the alien device grabbed hold of his mind. He was suspended in time, unable to move or speak totally unaware of his surroundings; completely immersed in his memories.

"Carter, what do we do to get him out?"Giving her a look of grave concern Jack, as always, looked to Sam for the answers.

Major Cater walked slowly around the device where Daniel kneeled, her mind gathering up every detail that might help them recover Daniel. "Well, Colonel, it looks as though Daniel has been put into some sort of suspended animation. I think that if it was meant to hurt him it would have done it already." Sam looked thoughtfully at Daniels face; he didn't seem to be in any distress. In fact, his face was at peace as if he was simply asleep. "If it was going to kill him it would have already, our best option for now seems to be waiting it out." Carter did her best to reassure the Colonel, but they were dealing with a totally unknown alien device.

"I concur, O'Neill." With a slight bow of his head Teal'c accepted the inevitable, hoping his commander would be willing to wait.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! You all know how much I love waiting around for something to happen!" Just as Jack finished his outburst Sam, Jack and Teal'c turned at the sound of the gate activating. Through the quiet desert, even at a mile away the sound of the gate was distinct and disturbing.

"Let's take cover folks, until we know what's coming through that gate!" The colonel took refuge behind one of the large rock formations. Carter and Teal'c followed suit. Thankfully, Daniel was already hidden from view by the rocks. Seconds later the radio came to life."

"SG-1, do you copy?" General Hammond's voice came through clearly and SG-1 let out a collective sigh of relief. "I repeat, SG-1, do you copy?"

"Yes, Sir. We copy you loud and clear," Jack replied, "I suppose you're calling to find out why the kiddies are late for curfew?" Jacks customary sarcasm cut through General Hammonds worry enough for his anger to escape. "Colonel, will you please tell me why you missed your scheduled check in?"

"Well, sir. Daniel just won't stop touching things, sir. There is a small situation here, but so far it only has Daniel immobilized not ascended!" Jack shook his head, "In all seriousness, Sir."

"Yes, please, be serious Colonel," Interrupted Hammond.

"There is some kind of alien device that Daniel inadvertently activated. It has him in some sort of frozen cartoon." The colonel continued only to be interrupted by Carter.

"Suspended animation, Sir." Sam corrected with a small smile. No matter the situation, Jack's insistence on acting dumb never ceased to break the tension.

"That's what I said, Carter. Anyhow, General, it doesn't seem to be harming him in any way. Carter here thinks that if it was meant to hurt or kill it would've done it already." Jack continued, "The Major thinks that we should wait it out and see what happens."

"Alright, Colonel, but I want you checking in every four hours. If there appears to be any danger to Dr. Jackson, I want you to use any means necessary to separate him from that device. Is that understood, Jack?"

"Yes, Sir! Loud and clear!" Jack replied, "O'Neill out." Turning to Teal'c and Sam, "The suns beginning to go down, who's making dinner."

"I will, si-" Sam began.

Teal'c interrupted quickly. "Food preparation will be my occupation this evening, O'Neill." Carter was not known for her cooking and neither Jack nor Teal'c wanted to sample one of the Majors science experiments tonight.

"Oh, come on!" Sam sounded indignant, "I may not be Holly Hobby, but my cooking isn't that bad!" She thought for a moment chewing on her bottom lip, "Is it?"

"Indeed it is Major Carter." Teal'c's stated as his eyebrow rose slightly.

Sam huffed, "I think, I'll just keep Daniel company." As she began to walk toward him, SG-1 was surprised to hear Daniel join the conversation. "I know what the symbols mean."

The change in Daniel was so subtle, no one had noticed until he spoke. The lightness was suddenly gone from the conversation. "Daniel!" Sam rushed toward him followed closely by the rest of SG-1." Are you alright?"

"It is a form of ancient cuneiform." Daniel said quietly, ignoring her question. "The first part means Protector."

He sighed softly. "The second part is a request of sorts; defend the well of understanding to protect the whole of man."

"To whom do the symbols refer, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked concerned by Daniels demeanor.

"It refers to us, all of SG-1."

**Protector Defender**

**Defend the well of understanding to protect the whole of man.**


	2. What we know and don't know

**Don't sue me, I don't own Stargate or anything affiliated with it (except the story idea). **

**This is just stress relief and all in good fun!**

**Chapter 2**

**What we know… and don't know.**

"Let's talk about what we know, Daniel." Jack looked at Daniel as though he had gone crazy… again. "What we know is that rock is thousands of years old. While my knees aren't what they used to be; I'm not that old." Giving SG-1 a look that firmly settled the situation, in his mind anyway, Jack concluded; "That ancient note can't be about us."

"It is, Jack. I don't know how, I don't even know why!"Daniel's expression changed, he looked far away as he thought about what had transpired only moments ago. He didn't know why he was so certain, but he remained insistent. Daniel looked to Jack; imploring the Colonel to trust him. "All I know is that the prophesy is about us." Daniel looked down to the now dark stone, "I can't explain it."

Up until this moment Teal'c had only listened, but the words 'well' and 'prophesy' triggered in his mind, a memory from long ago. "Daniel Jackson," getting Daniel to make eye contact, "You said that the prophesy mentioned a "Well of Knowledge?"

Daniel lifted his head in surprise, when Teal'c spoke it warranted attention, stepping toward Teal'c with excitement, he said, "I think the translation is, understanding, but that's beside the point! Why?" Daniel continued to look at Teal's intently, but was disappointed by his thoughtful silence. Teal'c continued to ponder the wisdom of revealing the information he had, even to his friends. This was potentially the means to rule the universe; perhaps it was best left as myth and buried secrets.

After a moment Sam asked, "What is it Teal'c? What's wrong?"Looking intently into Teal's face Sam saw his hesitation and then renewed purpose.

Tealc had heard stories from childhood about this well of great knowledge. His own father believed them to be myth thought up by the gods to throw off enemies from their real pursuits; that this great cache of knowledge could truly exist disturbed the warrior's greatly. Another tense moment passed before Teal'c spoke, "I have heard of this 'well.' The Gou'uld have looked for it from the beginning of time. It is of great importance to them, they believe it holds immeasurable power." Teal'c's brows lowered and a look of concern became etched in his face. "If this 'well' truly exists, we must destroy it!" He stood up straight, resolute in the decision he had made, and continued," We must be successful in this task; the universe will be destroyed if we fail!"

"Hold on a second, here," Jack put up his hands as if to slow everything down, Jack had seen overreactions before, but never from Tealc. "Do you know anything specific about it, T? What, is it a space gun? Some Ancient weapon?" Jack looked slightly excited at the prospect, temporarily ignoring the seriousness of the situation.

"It is not, if the old tales speak the truth, it is far more dangerous than your 'space guns,' O'Neill." The Jaffa's eyes had taken on a dangerous glint; this was far too serious a matter to joke about. "What I know is only Jaffa' legend. There have been clues and secrets surrounding the 'Well' that I have heard from childhood. It was believed by my father to be a device that held the knowledge of the perfect host."

"The perfect host? Like Shifu? Sam interrupted, 'I'm sorry, Teal'c, but Shifu ascended. Shaking her head, Sam thought about what would have happened to Shifu' had he not been aided in ascending. Looking at Teal'c she asked, "Why wouldn't another harsesis do the same to protect their knowledge?"

Teal'c nodded his understanding of the contradiction, "A harsesis, yes, but not like the son of Share'." Teal'c glanced toward Daniel at the unpleasant reminder of his wife and adopted son. "The host was reported to be the humanoid child of a Gou'uld host and an Ancient. The child would retain the genetic knowledge of its entire parentage."

All of SG-1 went silent at that revelation, until Sam breathed softly, "Holy Hannah, all the knowledge of the Ancients and the Gou'uld. That _is_ terrifying." All the power that one person, one child, would wield… it was almost unimaginable.

"Along with all of their powerful gifts, Major Carter." Shaking his head, Teal'c gave voice to Sam Carters thoughts. Sam's eyes widened at the statement and the implications began swirling in her head.

"Cool."Even Jack was shaken by the magnitude of what they had here. However, Colonel O'Neill didn't last long before sarcastic Jack took over, "Wait a minute, Daniel! A Gou'uld and an Ancient? I thought the glowey guys were supposed to be smart!" Looking to Daniel for some explanation of how _that_ might have happened. "You were an ancient Daniel, how did that happen?"

"The knowledge must have been removed from the child," Daniel said, ignoring Jacks question and giving him a withering look, "the writing doesn't mention a child, just some sort of memory suppository device, like the one Jack had take over his brain."

At this announcement, Jack took a step back and burst, "Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Jack looked so distressed that Sam had to smile and bite back a laugh. "Not another one of those head sucking things!" He looked around as if trying to find a way out.

"I do not believe so, O'Neill." Teal'c answered Jack with a look that said he was amused as well. "I believe this device would be accessed in a fashion similar to one of Earths computers." Though in a normal situation, Teal'c may have let Jack stew on the thought of being claimed by the Ancient memory device yet again, the situation was too grave. Looking at Jack; Teal'c determined, "If this device truly exists, it should be destroyed, O'Neill!"

Jack nodded and rubbed his hands together as if barley containing his excitement. "So, into the deep, dark, creepy hole we go?" Jack in his usual offhand manner, made clear the next course of action.

"Indeed." Teal'c replied, with his eyebrow raised.

Jack turned to his Major with expectancy, "Alright, Carter, what's plan B?"

"Plan B, Sir?" Sam looked to Jack with a puzzled and slightly amused expression. Her blue eyes looked in to Jacks brown ones and caught the laughter there. Their gazes locked for mere seconds but Sam knew that behind the mask of humor; Jack was worried.

"Yeah, plan A never works. I thought we could skip right to plan B and save ourselves the trouble." Yes! There it was, the famous Carter smile. Jacks day always felt a little lighter after seeing a true Carter smile. Jack still looked to Sam for the answer to his question.

"Well, sir, we do have all the supplies needed to repel into the cavern and explore." Sam was concerned about possible Gou'uld forces or other unknown enemies, so she recommended, "We should leave someone topside for a lookout. Just in case, Sir." She knew Jack wouldn't take the recommendation well; he liked all of his 'kids' where he could watch their sixes.

"Carter, haven't you ever seen a horror movie… you never split up when going into a scary, dark place!" Shaking his head, Jack gave Sam a look of mock shame at her assumed innocence. "All right, we'll check in with the SGC, we'll request SG-3 join us for this little party." Jack looked to the horizon and the sun going down, "Let's get moving folks, time's a wastin'."

Sam smiled at the Colonels antics, "Yes, sir. It's a little early for the scheduled check in, but I feel it's important that we get started right away sir." It was bad enough that they needed to go down into that cave, but the sun going down would make the task that much harder.

"Great, it'll be good for Hammond's heart to get the ol' blood pumping." Jack smiled as he thought about the havoc unscheduled off-world activation could cause. "Daniel, T, you stay here." Focusing on Dr. Jackson, Jack sternly reminded him, "Daniel, I will say this one more time; don't touch anything."

Daniel shook his head at the way Jack had taken on the appearance of a father figure again, or a drill sergeant; Daniel never really could tell which. "Yes, Jack." Daniel frowned slightly at Jacks reminder of his most recent incident. Daniel sighed; Jack was never going to let him live this one down.

If you do, I will shoot you, is that clear?" Jack said with enough seriousness that an unfamiliar observer would not have understood that he didn't mean it.

"Indeed." Teal'c's agreement inferred his irritation at being caught up in one of Daniel's escapades; again.

"Yes, Jack." Daniel rolled his eyes at Jacks insistence. Daniel was surprised by Teal'c's agreement and a little concerned. He knew Jack wouldn't shoot him, but Teal'c?

"Carter, let's move out." Jack said, interrupting Daniels thoughts. Sam, giving Daniel a look of sympathy, smiled and followed her commander without a word.

The hike back to the gate was sandy and hot, but swift and uneventful. "Sir, it's getting dark. If we plan on continuing work tonight, we should have SG-3 bring along some work lights." Sam continued, "Given the seriousness of the situation, sir, I think we should explore the cavern tonight." Sam watched her commander, he appeared unsettled, something that didn't happen that often with the normally unflappable Colonel O'Neill.

"I think you're right, Carter. I have a bad feeling about this one." Sam looked sharply at the Colonel; Jack almost never expressed his concerns like that, however, his intuition had never failed them before; they needed to hurry.

They soon reached the gate, and Jack ordered, "Dial it up Carter, let's fill Hammond in." Sam waited while Colonel O'Neill explained the situation to General Hammond. "So, you see sir, we were hoping you could send SG-3 out here to back us up while we explore this hole." Jack and Sam waited for the General to make a decision; do they continue on or go home?

"That shouldn't be a problem, Colonel." The General said steadily, "Expect them within the hour."

"Thank you, Sir." Jack responded quickly, almost wishing the General had called them home. Jack was never one to back down from a challenge; however, there was a sense of foreboding hanging over him this mission that had him worried.

"Anytime Colonel, Godspeed, SGC out." As Hammond signed off, Jack and Sam turned to hike the mile back to the ruins. When they arrived back at the site of the ancient remains, Daniel and Teal'c had made dinner and coffee. Daniel had broken out a few reference books in an attempt to get more background information on the situation.

"Ahh, Daniel, you may be troublesome but you sure can make coffee!" Jack looked at Daniel with what resembled an affectionate smile. Daniel so engrossed in his texts nodded but didn't look up. "SG-3 will be here within the hour, I want us ready to go in to that hole as soon as they show up. " His face showing uncharacteristic concern for the situation, "I want us done and off this rock as quickly as possible." Jack stared into the crackling fire, sipping his coffee and sinking deep in thought.

"That would be most fortuitous, Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c too, was feeling an unknown pressure to get away from this planet as soon as could be managed. He looked toward the cavern deep in thought.

Before long, the energy build up in the Stargate could be heard, marking the inevitable formation of a wormhole connection. Ever cautious, the colonel said sternly, "Take cover folks. Let's hope that's SG-3." The whole of SG-1 ducked behind the large stones, hoping that their peaceful mission was not about to be interrupted.

Soon the familiar forms of SG-3 could be made out along with Colonel Reynolds voice over the radio. "Colonel O'Neill, come in."  
"Well, it sounds as though the Marines have arrived." Jack said before speaking in to his radio, "Colonel Jack O'Neill here boys, welcome to the party." SG-3 was an all male Marine unit. They were especially good in tight and deadly situations; just not diplomatic ones. They were the people you wanted watching your six when it all hit the fan. Jack was strangely glad to have them around.

Major Lawrence was a stiff marine, unyielding, unwavering and with no sense of humor. "Colonel O'Neill what is your location?"

"All business eh, Major. No hello, how ya'doin'?" Jack loved yanking this guy's chain. "I'm hurt!" Jack at Sam with a smile, she knew how much he needed to have a lighthearted moment to break the threatening atmosphere, so she laughed readily at his good natured teasing of Major Lawrence.

"I was under the impression that this mission was of utmost importance, Sir." Lawrence responded tightly. He had heard that while Colonel Jack O'Neill was the best soldier anywhere, that he never 'got serious'. He was here to do his job in spite of his commanding officer.

Jack shook his head, "There's always time for fun, Major." Getting down to business Jack gave up their location, "See the huge rocks in the desert, Lawrence? They are about a mile away and we're sitting under 'em."

"Yes, sir. We'll be there in twenty, sir." Lawrence replied quickly. He hoped that the Colonel would miss how much time it would take them to hike a mile. Lawrence turned to his SG unit and said, "Let's move out."

"Short and to the point." Jack turned to look at Sam, "Carter, do you think all Marines have no sense of humor, or is it just Lawrence?" Leaning back against the rock at his back, Jack looked to all the world as if he were seated relaxed on a sofa, not on the chilly, rock infested ground of an alien planet.

"I think it's just your brand of humor, Jack," Daniel interjected. "Nobody expects to find a kid in the military," Giving Jack an evil smile, "especially one with gray hair."

"Danny, might I remind you that I do control the coffee?" Jack looked at Daniel with an equally evil smile, "Keep it up and I'll ration your caffeine!" The colonel reached for Daniel's cup, but when it came to coffee, Dr. Jackson had remarkable reflexes, so he got to keep his coffee.

Gentle laughter interrupted their banter, "Sorry, sir, but I think Daniel won that round." Sam shook her head and sided with Daniel, "There is no way you can put up with him if he hasn't had his coffee."

Jack suddenly sat up strait looking confused and slightly indignant, "Wait a second?!"

Sam, Teal'c and Daniel all snapped to attention, ready to defend themselves and each other. Jack snapped his radio on, "Major, do you really think it'll take you twenty minutes to make a mile?"Jack asked, surprised and sounding a little condescending. SG-1 relaxed and waited for Jack to begin tormenting the poor Major.

"We brought a civilian guest," Major Lawrence replied, the irritation at being burdened with such a cumbersome load, showed in Major Lawrence's voice, "a scientist, sir." Lawrence added the last part with some trepidation; he knew very well how O'Neill loved scientists, especially this one.

"Ahh, who is it, Major." Colonel O'Neill asked slowly. He had spent enough time around Sam and Daniel not to write scientist off before he even met them, but old habits do die hard.

"Sir, I think its best you see for yourself." Major Lawrence replied shortly, knowing that he was bordering on disrespect but hoping that Colonel O'Neill would let it go until they got to camp.

A few moments later, SG-3 walked into to camp, in step, like a well oiled machine, "SG-3 reporting for duty, sir." Lawrence said. "What can we do to help?"

"Yeah, yeah; can we dispense with the formalities?" Rodney McKay interrupted sarcastically, "If I'm not mistaken there is important work to be done here!"

Jack looked to Major Lawrence; he wanted answers, "Major?" He asked slowly," What is going on here?" Jack pinned him with a look that said, this better be good!

"Well, sir-," the Major began only to be interrupted yet again by Rodney.

"What's going on is; the fate of the galaxy is at stake. So naturally, they brought me back from the Pegasus Galaxy to fix the problem." Rodney looked at the Colonel with annoyance, "This had better be good!"

Jack looked to Dr. Jackson, "Daniel, what is he doing here?"

"Not sure**,** really, Jack." Daniel replied slowly. Looking toward the newcomer, He was very surprised he was there. General Hammond knew how much Jack despised Rodney. Daniel said as much to Jack.

Colonel O'Neill turned to Rodney, "So, why are you here?" He began to regard him with some suspicion; not entirely certain things were as they seemed.

"I understand your concern, Colonel O'Neill; however, I am here because the IOA insisted that a civilian be in on this mission!" Rodney watched Jack's face tighten, "Now hold on a minute, before you go shooting me; I don't like the IOA either."

"Not a convincing argument, McKay." Colonel O'Neill interjected.

"General Hammond thought you could benefit from my expertise in Ancient knowledge and technology while satisfying the IOA's demands. I'm actually here to help!" Rodney blurted out. He knew that the Colonel didn't like him very much. He didn't want to risk Jack's wrath.

"Lawrence," Jack snapped, "What do you know about this?"

Major Lawrence took a deep breath and gave the speech he had been practicing since finding out about his tag along, "The orders came directly from General Hammond, Sir!" He gulped slightly, "I double checked the facts myself, and everything is in order sir, just like he said." The Major looked nervously around the camp, trying to find something other than the Colonel to look at; finally he looked Jack in the eyes. Jack nodded once and the matter was closed.

Jack clapped his hands breaking the tense silence, "Well kids, it looks like play times over." Standing up and looking Lawrence in the eye, "Major Lawrence, you brought lights with you?"

"Yes, Sir, we did." The Major replied relieved that the tension was easing and he was no longer facing the Colonels anger, at least for the moment.

"Let's get those lights set up. Major, you will remain with SG-3 and guard the entrance to the cavern." Jack turned to look at Daniel, Sam and Teal'c, "SG-1 will be exploring the cavern as a group. Rodney, you stick to Daniel like glue, there is no telling what we will find down there, understand?"

"Hey," Rodney burst sounding irritated, "This isn't my first circus!" Planting his hands on his hips, Rodney did his best imitation of a white knight offended. Jack nearly laughed out loud at his naïve arrogance. Choking back a sarcastic remark about the Gou'uld not caring how intelligent you were, Jack said, "Good," Jack looked around at the entire group, now comprised of the eight SG team members and Rodney, "now the point is to get this over as quickly as possible and get the heck off this rock! Is every one clear?"

Tealc's, "indeed," and a chorus of, "Yes, Sir's," greeted Jacks orders. "Great, now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we."

The members of SG-3 busied themselves with setting up the lights and equipment. To get an idea of what was below the surface; Jack lowered a night vision camera into the space and turned it slowly clockwise to get a complete view of the area below them. Carter, watching the small screen said, "Sir, I don't see anything in the immediate area. It just appears to be the beginning of a passageway."

Jack pulled out the camera and stood up, "Alright, we're a go. Gather up your gear," then looking to Daniel he added, "Danny, no books on the first trip, we'll have a member of SG-3 bring something down if you need it."

Daniel sighed, but nodded understanding the need to travel lightly. They had no idea what was waiting for them in the cave. Jack then looked to Rodney, "That goes for you, too."

SG-1 began gathering up needed supplies, while SG-3 set up a parameter around the stones. Only moments had passed when Jack got their attention, "Okay, kids, here's the plan. I'll go down first, if it's clear, Sam you follow, then T, Rodney and Danny." Jack looked at Major Lawrence, "SG-3 stays here to cover our exit."

"Yes, Sir." Major Lawrence was irritated to have been stuck with babysitting the camp, but like good soldier, he did as ordered.

Sam watched Jack drop into the hole in front of her and heard him say, "Its' clear folks, come on down." One by one they all followed Jack into the cavern. "Watch the first step," Jack pointed out a large dark hole taking up most of the path, "it's a doosey." The last of the team slipped into the hole to land safely on solid ground.

"I wonder how deep it is." Daniel said, peering carefully over the edge. The hole was ragged and rough, consistent with the appearance of a sink hole on earth. "I don't know, Danny boy, let say we don't find out." Pulling Daniel away from the edge, "Seriously, do you and Carter ever watch TV? I've watched Indiana Jones! You never look into the dark hole! And you're supposed to be the archeologist." Shaking his head and making his way around the edge of the hole, Jack said, "Let's move on."

Sam looked around carefully as she followed Jack. She wished that the Colonel had not brought up horror movies, the dark, musty environment of the passageways many years of concealment and would be the perfect scene for one of Hollywood's overdramatic Halloween creations.

They all carefully navigated around the drop off and followed Jacks steady flashlight down the passage. The walls were smooth; it did not appear to be a natural cave, but a man made hallway leading off onto darkness. They soon came to a larger space, cave like in appearance that had a pillar set in the middle.

"I can't be that easy," Jack said, looking around the room for the hidden traps to begin their deadly work.

Not seeing anything overtly dangerous Daniel and Sam moved cautiously into the main space of the room. They both considered the possibility of hidden traps and were concerned about the potential dangers.

Jack voiced their thoughts, "Well we aren't dead yet, so I guess no booby traps this time, huh?" Readjusting his baseball cap, Jack looked to Daniel for the answer.

"I wouldn't count on it just yet, Jack." Daniel replied, thinking of other adventures that went to pot much farther in to the mission than this, the giant spider from the mission with the Russians coming to mind. He suppressed a shudder at that thought an unconsciously looked around for webs or other evidence of eight legged creatures.

"We should indeed proceed with great caution, O'Neill." Teal'c warned, "An object of such great importance would not be left unguarded."

Looking into the room Daniel noticed a pedestal in the center of the cave, a small pillar of some kind. Daniel pointed it out to the others, "I wonder what the pedestal is for?" Daniel walked farther in to the room toward the pillar, "There is a platform of some kind, and I think that a person is meant to stand in the circle."

Before Jack could stop him, Daniel stepped into the circle and everyone jumped a bit as lights came on around the room, yet nothing else happened. With the room illuminated, Daniel could see the evidence of Ancient writing mixed with cuneiform. He saw Rodney wander over to the wall to inspect the engravings. Daniel nearly found himself repeating to Rodney the Colonels often heard warning not to touch anything. Ah, well, if you are around Jack long enough, he's bound to wear off.

Colonel O'Neill was soon standing next to him, "Daniel, do ya think, maybe, you should back up a bit?" Jack snapped.

Daniel shot back, "I'm right here Jack, you don't need to shout!" Though they were all, understandably, feeling the tension of the circumstances, Daniel had just about enough of Jacks mothering. Then Daniel's voice softened, "It's all right, Jack." Daniel said quietly. "I think this might be an Ancient outpost of some sort." Daniel placed his hand on the pillar and suddenly a man stood before him. Jack jumped back, pulling Daniel with him, his P-90 coming up to defend them if necessary. Jack unconsciously began planning their escape route, just in case all didn't go as planned.

"It's a hologram, Colonel." Sam pointed out, her voice held a note of fascination, "It's slightly unsteady, see. Who ever put it here must have left a long time ago. Its' power source seems nearly depleted." The quality of Sam's voice had change to the techno babble tone she used when her brain was trying to analyze and put something into its appropriate box.

The all were startled again when the apparatus began to speak, calling Daniel by name, "Dr. Daniel Jackson, my name is Janice. I am Ancient." The image began to waver slightly as though it could disappear at any moment. "Your memories have been accessed, you and your companions have been deemed worthy to protect and defend the Well of Knowledge." The group looked to one another in confusion; the image seemed to interact with them as though it were another person in the room. Daniel knew it was a hologram, but the ancient machine appeared to be searching his soul. "You have been given all the knowledge you will require to find the Well and keep it safe. The image of Janice sighed as if a great weight was on his shoulders, and continued, "All of your questions will be answered, at the right time." The hologram Janice turned to stare Jack right in the eye, "Go now, it is not safe here."

The room suddenly went dark.


	3. Get the heck out of dodge

Chapter Three:

The Heck outta' Dodge!

"Who turned out the lights?" Jack complained, all the while clicking on his flashlight. "That was a bit anti-climatic, wasn't it Daniel?"

Daniel looked toward Jack, flashlight in hand, and replied, "I think we should get out of here…" The room ground beneath their feet began to rumble, quietly at first, then louder. The ground began shaking.

"For once Danny, I agree with you!" Jack turned toward the exit, "Let's get the heck outta' Dodge!"

"Colonel O'Neill," Major Lawrence's voice broke over the radio, "We are under attack. I repeat, we are under attack!"

O'Neill snapped into his radio, "Report, Major." All signs of the sarcastic Colonel were erased, replaced by a hard mask, a sign that he was ready for battle.

"We have one Alkesh advancing on our position!" Major Lawrence spoke through the loud repetitive _pop, pop, pop_ of gunfire, "The shaking you felt was the Alkesh bombing our position. We'll hold the fort until you get here, Sir, but you had better make it fast!"

"Understood, Major." Jack looked to his team. "You heard him! Let's move out." The group moved quickly down the tunnel, fighting to maintain their footing as the attack continued from above. "Watch the hole," Jack reminded as they made their way back to the entry point, "I'll go first. T, you next. We'll lay down cover fire for the rest of you."

Sam and Daniel climbed the ropes out of the cavern, followed by a reticent Rodney. "Keep your head down, McKay, and you might survive this," Sam reprimanded Rodney.

"You don't have to tell me twice… hey, don't I get a gun?" Rodney asked with indignation.

Sam didn't bother to dignify his question with a response. She caught a movement behind Rodney's head, turned, and fired, effectively removing one enemy Jaffa from participation in battle. SG-3 had turned the dig lights out, which aided the SG personnel in avoiding their enemy.

"We have got to take out that ship!" Jack shouted to Teal'c, who nodded, understanding instantly what the Colonel was asking. Teal'c stood and took aim at the Alkesh with his staff weapon. Steadily, he waited until the opportune moment and then _wham_, he fired twice in succession and damaged the ship enough to remove it from the fight.

"Let's head for the gate, people, before we have more uninvited guests!" Jack shouted. The group left all the equipment behind and made for the gate. They had almost reached the platform when they heard the familiar whine of Glider engines, "Hurry it up, folks! Daniel, dial the gate."

Daniel ran for the DHD and entered the co-ordinates just as the Gliders came in to firing range. Sam waited for the gate to engage, entered the GDO hot code, and turned to cover her team with Colonel O'Neill, as they went through the gate. They narrowly escaped a fiery death in the blast of a Gliders weapons fire.

***

Jack turned to survey the damage his team had taken. SG-3 had a few minor flesh wounds, Rodney had passed out, and SG-1 looked relatively unscathed. Too bad the gate room hadn't fared as well. A blast from the Gliders had made it through the gate and hit the operations room, cracking the glass into a spidery web. Jack turned to Sam, "Carter, you all right?" His eyes looked her over carefully. She swayed, and Jack caught her arm, holding her up right. "Medic!" he yelled. The medical team had been called, but they had been seeing to the injured. No one had noticed Major Carter suddenly turn white—except Jack.

Janet Frasier, the SGC's Chief Medical Officer, shouted for a gurney as she ran to Sam's aid. "Where is she injured?" She looked Jack for answers.

"She looks like she caught a staff blast in the back," Jack said as Janet began to asses Major Carter's injuries. "She seemed fine a second ago. Then she seemed unsteady and I caught her before she fell." The gurney had arrived and Jack laid Sam down as gently as he would a small child. He looked at Janet with agony in his eyes, "Take care of her, Janet!"

Janet gave him a reassuring smile, "You know I will, Sir."

Janet looked Sam over and found a serious injury to her lower back. The medical team attempted to stop her bleeding as they wheeled her quickly to the infirmary. Sam's team was in close pursuit. Jack looked to General Hammond and said, "Sir, I…"

Hammond shook his head, "It's all right, Son. I know where I would be if in your situation. The debrief can wait. In fact, I'll join you in the infirmary." With that declaration, they both followed the path that Teal'c and Daniel had taken only seconds before.

***

In the infirmary, Janet was working overtime to save Samantha Carter's life. The odds didn't look good, but Sam had a few things working in her favor: stubbornness, alien physiology, and the fact that if Sam died, Colonel O'Neill would probably kill her. "The bleeding stopped." Janet spoke to her medical assistant, "Let's get her prepped for surgery."

"Doctor, I think she's starting to come around!" The RN stepped backwards to give Janet a clear view of Sam's face. Sure enough, her eyelids were beginning to flutter. "Sam, Sam can you hear me?" Janet asked, displaying the first vestiges of hope in her face.

"J-Janet?" Sam's face showing her confusion asked, "Why… what happened?"

The doctor smiled reassuringly, "You were hit by a staff blast just before you came through the gate." Janet stopped for a moment to gauge Sam's reaction, "We have to take you into surgery. You have some damage that I have to repair, but you'll be just fine!"

A sound at the door caught Sam's attention, "Sir."

"At ease, Carter," quietly Jack walked across the room to take Sam's hand. It was moments like this that they were close, not too close, but close. No one seemed to mind.  
"I'm sorry, Sir, I…"

"Cut it out, Carter. That's an order." Jack responded with a firmness in his tone that ended Sam's worries for the moment. He gently squeezed her hand and said softly, "Go to sleep, Sam. I'll be here when you wake up." He heard a soft sigh escape her lips, "Yes, Sir." Then her eyes drifted closed and she was alone in world known only to her.

Jack looked at Janet, "What's goin' on, Doc?" The tone of his voice belayed the worry that anyone who knew him well could see etched in his face.

"Well, Sir, she took an indirect hit from an energy weapon, probably a staff." Janet looked at General Hammond. "I didn't think her chances were too good to begin with, Sir, but she seemed pretty lucid a moment ago. That bodes well for her recovery." She looked to Sam and then back to the Colonel. "If you'll excuse me, Sirs, I need to get Sam into surgery.

The wait was eternal. It felt to all concerned that Sam would never return from the OR. Three hours later, the doors opened and an exhausted Dr. Frazier stepped out. SG-1 jumped up from their seats, followed more slowly by the General. "Janet," Daniel rushed forward to meet her, "How is she?"

"It looks like Sam will pull through just fine, Daniel." Janet looked up to include all of SG-1 and General Hammond. "Her injury was fairly severe, but she didn't lose as much blood as we had feared. The blast cauterized most of the wound, stemming much of the bleeding." Janet could feel the sudden release that comes with relief. "A few weeks rest and she'll be herself again!"

Suddenly the klaxons sounded and the warning, "Unscheduled off-world activation, inbound traveler, General Hammond to the gate room." General Hammond and the rest of SG-1 started off at a run to the gate room. By the time they had reached the control room, the TokRa had sent through their IDC. Walter Harriman looked up at Colonel O'Neill, "Its Jacob Carter, Sir."

Jack looked startled, "Never a dull moment at the SGC." Everyone in his presence could see what he really meant. Jacob Carter was going to kill Jack for getting his little girl hurt. Teal'c looked at Jack. "I believe, O'Neill, that now would be the time to 'get the heck out of Dodge.'" The colonel attempted a brief smile at the Jaffa's attempt at levity.

Slowly, Jack walked out of the control room and made his way down the stairs to meet Jacob. These were the moments that he hated as a commanding officer, but it was worse this time. This time it was Sam's family that he had to give bad news to. Jack walked into the gate room, "Jacob."

Jacob looked at Jack and suddenly he knew no words were necessary, "Where is she?" Jacob's face tensed as he asked the question.

Jack sighed, "In the infirmary. She just came out of surgery." Jacob left without a word, and Jack silently followed. They made their way to the infirmary and Janet met them at the door, "You can go in for a minute or two, but you have to keep it quiet, understood?" At their nods of agreement she stood to the side and let them pass.

They stood one on each side of the bed, "What happened, Jack?"

Jack looked warily at Jacob, "Dad, maybe that should wait till we are out of Sam's earshot…?" He wasn't really hopeful that he would never have to explain that Sam got hurt on his watch; he just wanted to delay the inevitable.

Jacob looked at Jack as though he could see right through him. "Let's step outside." They made their way out into the hallway and stopped, "Tell me what happened." Jacob looked at Jack with an unreadable expression. Jack explained how Sam had been shot on her way back through the gate. As he ended his story, he tensed, waiting for the punch that never came. Instead, Jacob looked a Jack with sadness, "It's not your fault, Jack. You couldn't have prevented this."

Jack angrily slammed his fist against the wall, "It _is _my fault, Jacob. Sam got hurt on _my_ watch. "

Jacob grabbed his shoulder, "Would it help if I blamed you? Would it help if I knocked you senseless for getting my girl hurt?"

"Yes."

"Well, tough. Sam would have my ass if I hit you, much less blamed you for this… She's going to be okay, Jack."

"God, I hope so. I don't think I could live with myself if…" Jack stopped, not daring to say the words out loud.

"It's not going to happen." Jacob interjected. "Now, let's go back in and see Sammy."

***

In the conference room, General Hammond, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c discussed the excursion into the cavern and the subsequent events. "I wonder what Janice meant when he said that we had been given all the knowledge we needed and that our questions would be answered at the right time?" Daniel said.

Teal'c nodded, cocked his head, and replied, "Of this I am uncertain. In our prior dealings with the ancients we have found them to be cryptic."

Daniel agreed, thinking of his time with Oma Disala and Shifu, "Many of their answers come in the form of riddles, but there seems to be no hidden message in the words Janice spoke to us."

General Hammond interrupted their discussion to ask, "What do we know, Dr. Jackson?"

"Well Sir, we know that there is a device out there somewhere that holds all the knowledge of both the Ancients and the Gou'uld. We don't know where it is, but we know the Gou'uld are after it." Daniel shook his head, "That is about all we know."

They sat in a momentary silence, Then the phone rang breaking them out of their thoughts, "Hammond, here."

It was Janet, "Sir, you had better come down to the infirmary. It's Sam."


	4. What comes next?

Chapter 4:

What comes next?

"She's glowing."

Jack and Jacob both jumped backward, as if they had been bitten. Jack reached over and slapped the panic button, summoning Janet to the room. "Is she doing that whole next-level thing?" Jack asked looking hesitant, even disappointed at the thought. He looked to Jacob, hoping that he would deny it.

"No." Jacob replied, "You have seen Daniel ascend; this is different."

Jack sighed in momentary relief, then tension filled his face again, "Okay, if not that, then what the heck is going on?"

Janet entered the room at that moment and stood paralyzed, powerless to act.

Jack spoke what everyone was thinking, "This is so-o out of our league!"

That comment was enough to send Janet into action. She reached for the phone and called General Hammond, "Hammond, here."

"Sir, you had better get to the infirmary. It's Sam."

Then Selmak, Jacob's symbiote, chose to intervene. _"I believe Samantha is in no danger. We should not interfere."_

Jack stared at him as if trying to determine his level of honesty. "I hope you're right, Selmak."

Before long, the general, Daniel and Teal'c joined the group gathered around Sam's bed. No one knew what to do, or what to expect, but Sam's vitals were steady; in fact, they were growing stronger. The glow surrounding Sam faded ever so slowly until it was completely gone. Those in the room waited with bated breath, unsure of what might come next. The silence was heavy, until Jack broke it with his customary sarcasm, "So… does anybody know what to do now?"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, when Sam's eyes slowly opened. Blinking against the bright lights of the infirmary she asked, "What happened?"

"Okay, everyone needs to step into the hall," Janet ordered. "I need to check Sam out and make sure she is in no danger." Everyone but Jack began moving towards the door. "That means you too, Colonel O'Neill!"

Reluctantly, Jack began to follow the others, muttering as he went, "Napoleonic power monger!"

Janet heard him and stifled a smile, "I heard that, Colonel." Turning back to Sam, she got down to business.

"Janet, what happened?" Sam asked, confusion written on her face. "The last thing I remember was being prepped for surgery, but I'm not in any pain." She paused. "In fact, I feel good, really good."

Janet began to give Sam a thorough examination, all the while explaining to her what had transpired only moments before. Then she suddenly went quiet, "Sam," Janet said, looking at her back, "there is no sign of your injury." She shook her head, not able to comprehend what was clearly in front of her face, "Whatever happened healed you completely, and there isn't even any sign of a scar!"

"Janet, that's not possible!" Sam reached around her back, intent on feeling what she couldn't see. "It is consistent with how I'm feeling though."

Janet turned toward the door, "I'm going to call the others back in here; they'll be relieved to know that you are all right." Hammond came through first, followed by the rest of SG-1 and Jacob. "She looks fine, Sir," Janet replied to Hammond's silent question. "Whatever happened healed her completely." Janet continued. She looked at Sam as though she had suddenly sprouted wings, "I'll of course want to run some tests, and I would like to keep her twenty-four hours for observation."

"Understood," Hammond replied. "Is there any indication as to what happened to her, Doctor?"

"None whatsoever, Sir," Janet responded with a slight frown.

"All right, Doctor. Let me know immediately if there are any changes in Major Carter's condition."

Janet nodded, "Yes, Sir."

Hammond looked a Sam. "Major Carter, I am happy that you are doing so well… Let's try to keep it that way, shall we?"

Sam smiled, understanding his meaning. "Yes, sir, I'll try to behave myself."

Hammond quietly left the room, and Janet excused herself as well. "I need to check some test results, Sam. I'll check on you in a bit." This left Sam entirely at the mercy of SG-1.

Jacob walked over and reached for Sam's hand, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. He smiled down at her and asked, "How are you feeling, Sam?"

"I'm okay, Dad, really." Sam smiled at her father, hoping to relieve some of his concerns.

Jack saw the concern on Jacob's face and tried to relieve the tension. "Well, Carter, if you keep this up you are so-o going to ruin Danny's reputation of being the glow-y one." Jack tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked slowly back on his heels.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I don't think any of us have a chance at breaking _his_ record, Colonel. I don't understand what happened! None of this makes any sense." She paused a moment, lost in her own thoughts, "The why of me 'going glow-y' seems to have been solved . . . I'm completely healed." She looked at Daniel, thinking his experiences might help her solve the puzzle, "But how, and what caused it?"

Daniel shook his head, "Don't look at_ me_, Sam. I'm as clueless as the rest of you." He looked at Jack and then Teal'c. They were looking at him expectantly so he continued, "Could it have something to do with the planet? We did encounter Ancient technology there. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

Sam's brows furrowed. "I guess it's possible, Daniel. I don't know, though. The only real technology we interacted with was the 'test' and the hologram." She shook her head again. "The 'test' affected you, not me, and we've encountered Ancient holograms before without this side affect." She took turns looking at each of them, hoping one would have answers that might satisfy her.

"And yet," Jack interjected, "You are healthy, while you were definitely _not_ healthy a few hours ago." A crooked smile crossed his face. "And unless there is something you aren't telling us, you didn't have the ability to heal yourself before going to p3x-whatever." Jack looked happy to have brought such an important view to light.

"O'Neill is indeed correct, Major Carter." Teal'c tilted his head in Jack's direction, "You have been gravely injured before and have not been healed through these means. This would indicate that the planet P3X-673 does indeed have a direct impact on this situation."

Daniel began shifting around as though he wanted to say something. All eyes turned to him. "You know, it is possible that your ability to heal does have to do with this situation." Sam looked at him expectantly, so Daniel continued. "The hologram did say that we had the knowledge we needed to complete our task. Maybe we were given information in a way we were unaware." Daniel paused long enough that Jack ordered, "Get to the point, Daniel!"

"You know how the repository of Ancient knowledge works, right?"

"Yeah, Danny-boy, we have intimate knowledge about_ that_ one." Jack did not like reminders of the time he spent controlled by the Ancient knowledge. "Somehow, I knew this was going to come back to those head suckers!" He paused in the middle of his rant. "There's just one problem with your little theory, Daniel." Jack narrowed his eyes and stared Daniel down. "We never saw one of those things on P3X-6-whatever, did we?"

"I know that, Jack." Daniel's exasperation with Jack was once again rising to the surface. "I'm not suggesting that the repository was used, merely that we were given some of the same knowledge . . . somehow." He sighed. He knew it was a stretch, but nothing else made sense. The Ancient from Antarctica had possessed the ability to heal herself—and others. It would make more sense than . . . say . . . Sam randomly and miraculously being able to heal _herself_, wouldn't it? "Does anybody have a better idea?"

Sam, Jack, and Teal'c looked at Daniel, each wanting a better explanation than the one Daniel had provided, but none was forthcoming. Until this moment Jacob and Selmak had remained silent, Jacob slowly nodded as if listening to a voice inside his head – in fact that was exactly what he _was_ doing, "Selmak and I are inclined to agree with Daniel and Teal'c. I doubt the encounter with the Ancients and your situation is coincidental." Jacob looked directly at Sam.

Sam's gaze steadily held her father's, "So if we are to proceed on the notion that I—or perhaps all of us—have been given the Ancient knowledge, what comes next?" Sam frowned at the thought. "It would seem rather arbitrary for a machine to choose one of us at random to give the knowledge to, so are we all going to start speaking Ancient?" Knowing that it was a question with no answer, Sam expected none. The group fell into silence as they contemplated the possibilities of what might lie ahead.

***

The next day Sam was released from the infirmary. There had been no further incidents, and she appeared to be in perfect health. Janet was still concerned, however. She was not fond of situations with no explanation, and having something like this happen to her best friend . . .? Well, that was worse, much worse. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for Sam's good fortune, or for her miraculous healing. It was simply that as a doctor, she should be able to explain it. Maybe it rubbed her pride the wrong way. "Sam, if there is anything out of the ordinary, even if it seems insignificant, I want you to come see me straight away!"

Sam smiled at her friends and their protective behavior. "I hear you, Janet." Secretly, Sam thought, _If I have to_!

Jack cleared his throat in the doorway, announcing his presence to Janet and Sam. "Don't worry, Doc. Carter will be on her best behavior, or I will take away her toys." Jack gave Sam a mock scowl. "Is that understood, Major? No behavey, no doohickey!"

Sam stifled a smile, and her face took on the appearance of a soldier. "Yes, _Sir_, I understand, _Sir_!"

Jack frowned, "Are you mocking me Carter?"

Sam chuckled. "No, _Sir_, I would never do that, _Sir._"

Jack's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond Jacob entered the room, "Hi, Sammy."

Sam sat up a little straighter, "Dad, Hi!"

Jacob had worried over what he had come to say. He needed to get back to the Tokra base. He could do more back at the base to come up with the answers SG-1 needed. He knew Sam would be the good soldier and accept that he needed to leave, but he hated that it was necessary. Only yesterday they all thought she would die; now he was leaving her again. Jacob looked at Jack. At least he was leaving her in good hands. "Sam, I have to head back to the Tokra. Daniel asked me to see what information they had on this 'Well of Understanding.'" He frowned, "I'm sorry, Kiddo, but I have to go."

Sam squared her shoulders, smiled, and said, "I'm fine, Dad. You do what you need to do." She glanced at Janet and Jack, then looked back at her father with a confident grin. "I'm in good hands, Dad. You don't have to worry."

Selmak took over. "_Samantha, your father and I are grateful that you have recovered so well_._ We will come back quickly, I assure you_."

Sam smiled, "Thanks, Selmak."

Selmak disappeared into the confines of Jacob's mind, and Jacob spoke. "We'll be back soon, Sam." He bent over, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then he was gone.

"You gonna be okay, Sam?" Jack asked softly.

The fact that he used her first name caught her attention. She gave him a hesitant smile. "Of course, Sir. Aren't I always?"

The quiet moment was broken by Daniel bursting into the room, "I've got it!" he shouted, as if they were a mile away instead of five feet, "I think I've_ got_ it!" He looked so excited that it was hard not to be swept up in his exuberance.

"Got what, Danny?" Jack was a little afraid to ask. You never knew what the space monkey was going to pull out of his hat. Daniel looked at him, and Jack was quite sure Daniel knew exactly what he'd been thinking.

Daniel continued, "I found it in some references to an Ancient that SG-6 found on P3X-411—"

"I'll ask again Daniel. What did you find?" Jack asked shortly. When would the eggheads learn that he didn't need all the scienc-y details?

Daniel grinned. "I found out what comes next!"


	5. Riddle me this

**Chapter 5:**

**Riddle me this…**

"As I was saying," Daniel continued, shooting Jack a dark look, "I was studying a tablet that SG-6 found on P3X-411, and I ran across some references to an Ancient named Janice." Daniel's excitement was nearly palpable, and he had to stop a moment to catch his breath. "The tablet referred to an Ancient who defied the will of the Ancient council and helped to hide the greatest threat to the universe." Daniel's gaze took in both Jack and Sam. "The tablet refers to the threat as 'All Knowledge."

Jack interrupted, "This is starting to sound a bit familiar…"

"Did the tablet say anything else, Daniel?" Sam asked. She knew he could get worked up about archeology, but she thought his excitement warranted more than a simple mention.

Daniel was nodding even before Sam finished her sentence. "Yes, there is a reference to a mystery surrounding the disappearance of this Ancient." Daniel smiled; he always felt like Indiana Jones in moments like this. "His name was Janice." Daniel knew that he needn't explain who Janice was; they had all heard the hologram give his name.

"That's all great, fine and dandy Daniel… but how does more of a mystery help us?" Jack frowned. "I thought you said you knew what came next." Jack knew Daniel had more to say, but he couldn't help prodding him a little. Daniel could deliver information slower than molasses in a Minnesota January, if he didn't get a little encouragement.

"There is a gate address to Janice's last known location." Daniel smiled triumphantly, "I think we need to go there!" He look into Jack's skeptical face, "I know it doesn't seem like much, but you have to trust me on this one. I know this is what we have to do next. I don't know how I'm so certain, _I just know_!" Daniel concluded his mini-speech, hoping Jack would back him up on this one.

Jack gave Daniel a hard look then turned to Sam, "What do you think, Carter?"

Sam once again became "Soldier Sam," stepping into her role as the Colonels 2IC, "Well Sir, as long as we take the usual precautions, I don't see why we shouldn't explore this lead." Her eyebrows drew together thoughtfully. "I agree with Daniel. We should check it out."

Daniel shot Sam a grateful look.

There was a long moment of silence before Jack answered. "All right, let's take what we have to Hammond." He looked at Daniel. "But I swear, Daniel, if this is another one of your archeological goose-chase's . . . I'm going to make you watch _The Simpsons_ with me every day for a month!"

Daniel's smile lit up the room in spite of Jack's threat. "Sure, Jack. But this is it! I can feel it!"

***

SG-1 and General Hammond sat around the table in the conference room overlooking the gate room. The purpose of the meeting was to brief Hammond on Daniel's findings, and obtain his approval for a mission to the planet now designated P45-001. Teal also needed to be brought up to speed, as he had been performing Kel-Nor-eem during the revelation of Daniel's discovery.

"Basically, what Daniel is trying to say, Sir, is that this is a place to start looking for answers." Sam interrupted Daniels long explanation of _why _it was necessary that they go to this planet. She suppressed a smile at Daniel's obvious irritation at being interrupted. "The hologram did say that our questions would be answered at the right time. This could be one way to get some answers, Sir." Daniel looked grateful that Sam had backed him up.

"I have to agree with, Carter," Jack put in his two cents. "This is important, and doing this is better than waiting around for the Gou'uld to find this 'Well' first."

General Hammond nodded his head and turned to Teal'c. "Do you have an opinion on the matter, Teal'c?" It was well known that the general respected Teal'c and held his opinion in high regard. Teal'c only weighed in on something if he wholeheartedly believed it.

"I do believe that Doctor Jackson has found our next step, General Hammond." Teal'c slowly raised his eyebrow in the way that only he could. "But caution is in order; there is no telling what information the Gou'uld have regarding this 'Well of Understanding.'" Teal'c looked directly at Sam. "We may not be so blessed as we were in our last encounter." Everyone knew that he was referring to Sam's narrow and miraculous escape from death.

Hammond nodded. "All right then, providing that the MALP shows no signs of immediate enemy activity, you have a go for 0800 tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

***

Walter Harriman, as usual, was manning the Stargate controls, and his standard refrain had become a comforting routine for SG-1. "Chevron six, engaged; chevron seven, locked. Sending the MALP through." Walters's hands moved confidently over the controls. "MALP is away." It took a few moments for the MALP to arrive on the other side of the wormhole, but when it did, Walter announced, "Receiving telemetry now." SG-1 and Hammond gathered around the screen to see their first glimpse of the next planet they would visit.

Sam was the first to speak, "It looks clear, Sir." She paused and looked at the readout on the computer screen. "The atmosphere is similar to Earth's, so we shouldn't encounter any problems in that respect."

Daniel was—of course—the first to notice the ruins. "Those pillars are similar to the architecture we found on Earnest's Planet. The ruins there were primarily Ancient. I think we are on to something here, guys!" Daniel's expression took on that of a puppy following after a bone.

Jack looked at Daniel's excitement and gave his nod of approval. "It's your call, Sir," he said to Hammond, "but I think we should go."

Hammond paused moment, then nodded his assent, "SG-1, you have a go. Good luck and be careful." His words sent the control room into a flurry of activity. SG-1 withdrew to grab their gear, and the rest of the SGC personnel prepped for their departure. It didn't take long before SG-1 stood at the base of the ramp leading to the Stargate, ready for yet another adventure.

Hammond stood in the control room, clearly hoping for the safety of his flag ship team. "SG-1, Godspeed and comeback in one piece!"

Jack turned with a loose salute and a crooked grin, "Don't we always, Sir?" Then he turned and followed the rest of his team through the gate.

***

Immediately upon exiting the other side, Jack began assessing his surroundings. "Trees. Why is it always trees?"

His slightly disgruntled look amused Sam. "At least it's not sand, Sir," she said, biting back a smile, "The reason most planets have trees very similar to Earth, is that the environment needed to sustain humanoid life is—"

"Ach… Carter!" Jack waggled his finger at Sam. "Enough! There are some things I just don't need to know."

"Yes, sir." Sam held back a chuckle. She wondered if he knew that the most enjoyable reason that she fell into "tecno-babble" was for that very reaction.

While Teal'c took in the bantering between his friends, Daniel had moved to explore the ruins about a hundred feet away. "Doctor Jackson," he called out, loudly enough for all to hear, "I believe that in light of your previous experience on the last planet we visited, you should endeavor to not touch anything!"

Daniel scowled at Teal'c. It was unusual for Teal'c to rat on him, yet Teal'c seemed to be attempting humor. Daniel did not respond. Instead of rejoining the group, he continued studying the ruins.

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c joined him moments later, and he spoke his thoughts out loud, "These pillars seem to a have something written on them. It appears to be the same language as the cover stone on P3X-673."

Daniel went quiet as he began his translations of the text.

"That's good news." Sam smiled at Daniel. "We must be on the right track."

Daniel looked up. "Huh? Oh . . . yes . . . yes. I do think we're on the right track."

Jack rolled his eyes at Daniel's "absent-minded professor" routine and thought about how far Daniel had come in the last few years. When they had met, Daniel was the epitome of the bumbling academic; now he was a capable soldier, even if he did drag SG-1 into trouble on a frequent basis. "How long do you need with the translations, Daniel?" Jack asked with slightly more patience than normal.

Daniel looked happy, "Believe it or not, Jack, this won't take long to translate." He nodded toward the other pillars. "If the others are like this one, there will only be a line or two to translate."

His answer put a silly grin on Jack's face. "So, home before dinner, huh?" The duration of silence before Daniel answered Jack's question had him prompting, "Daniel?" The caution was clear in Jack's voice, and the smiled had slipped from his face.

"Jack, I have to finish the translation before I can really tell you anything." Daniel hoped Jack would give him the time he needed before demanding answers that he simply didn't have. So far the words he had translated didn't make sense. "Give me an hour, and I'll be able to give you something." His voice ended on a note that was almost pleading.

Jack looked at Daniel momentarily before turning to Sam and Teal'c, "So… What's for lunch?"

Daniel turned back to his work with relief.

Forty-five minutes later, Daniel joined the rest of SG-1. "It's a riddle." As he sat down, his shoulders sagged a little. The team knew it wouldn't be easy, but Daniel didn't think Jack would like this turn of events. He was right.

"A riddle? As in 'Riddle me this, Batman'? _That_ kind of riddle?" Jack's frustration showed in his tone. "What good does a riddle do? I thought they wanted us to protect this thing?" He looked at Daniel as if he _should _have all the answers. "How can we protect it if we can't find it?"

Sam could see Daniel winding up; he always took Jack's frustration as directed at him. So she interrupted Jack's rant. "What does the riddle say, Daniel?"

Sam could see that Daniel was grateful for her intervention. "The riddle is spread out between the four pillars. Each one contains one line, and when read together it says: _Center_, _two steps forward, one step back, only the persistent will pass_." Daniel looked at Jack, "Please don't ask me what it means yet, because I don't know."

Teal'c sat quietly and listened to the conversation, puzzling over the riddle. A thought occurred to him and he chose to share it with the rest of SG-1, "Persistence is a virtue. This could be a test to determine our worthiness."

Daniel looked up. "I suppose that's possible, but wasn't that the purpose of the device on P3X-673?" He thought for a moment. "The hologram said that we were 'deemed worthy to protect and defend the Well of Understanding.' Now, why more tests?"

"This is a very valuable possession, Doctor Jackson," Teal'c replied quietly, "If I were trying to protect an object such as this, I would undoubtedly put a number of safeguards in place. One would not be sufficient."

While Daniel agreed with Teal'c's assessment, he wasn't sure what more could be gained by further tests. The first test had accessed his memories, his entire life. What more could they wish to learn?

Sam's words broke into his thoughts. "I think we should try to solve the riddle. It can't hurt, and we might find more answers."

Jack sighed, "Ahh, it can't hurt. Famous last words!" Despite his sarcasm, Jack knew they had no choice but to push forward and "follow the yellow brick road." "Let's get to it then kids; daylights a-wastin'." All of SG-1 looked to Daniel, and he felt the pressure of needing answers.

"There are a few other words that place the pillars in an order, so I would think that the first pillar would be the place to begin," Daniel said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, begin at the beginning then . . ."

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c followed Daniel to the first of the four pillars. From there they walked the square made by the pillars, reading the inscriptions, hoping that something might occur to them. Teal'c was the first to come up with an idea, "I believe that it may be a simple set of instructions . . ."

Before he could finish, Daniel caught his meaning. "Yes, yes, I don't know how I could be so _stupid_!" He slapped his forehead—hard, "Follow me!" SG-1 made their way to the center of the figure made by the pillars. When Jack reached the middle, he said, "Now what, Danny?" Daniel said nothing, so Jack prompted, "_Center_, _two steps forward, one step back, only the persistent will pass_." The moment the words left his mouth, the tops of the pillars began to turn white.

SG-1 disappeared in a flash of bright light.


	6. Again?

CHAPTER 6:

_Again?_

SG-1 surveyed the dark room that they suddenly appeared in and found it to be a simple room with no doors or windows. Their flashlights crisscrossed the room in an attempt to discover their surroundings. The place was most likely subterranean, as the walls were apparently made out of solid rock, polished smooth to form a solid surface similar to a painted wall back home. Their lights glinted off a circle oriented at the center of the room, made out of a multi-colored inlaid rock. The room had no other distinguishing marks.

Sam took all of this in and reported to Jack. "Sir, I think we are underground." Sam watched all of SG-1 orient themselves to their surroundings and quickly come to the same conclusion she had; there was no exit.

SG-1 made their way around the room, looking for anything that they might have missed on first glance. Daniel noticed a circle centered in the room. He searched, but the circle appeared to have no meaning beyond being decorative.

Time wore on and eventually they all found a place to be comfortable… at least as comfortable as one could be sitting on a stone floor. Their only hope was to pray and wait for rescue.

Jack stood and began to pace. He crossed back and forth through the room, "Dammit, isn't there anything that we can do?" Suddenly, as he crossed through the circle inlaid into the floor, the room lit and Janus appeared to them once again.

"Welcome, defenders." The hologram representing the long dead ancient greeted SG-1. "Where is the fifth?"

SG-1 looked to each other in confusion, "Only four… always four." Jack replied to the long dead alien.

Again, the team felt the presence of another being, as if Janus was there, in the room, interacting with them. The hologram looked directly into Jacks eyes, "No, Jack." Janus replied to Jacks sarcastic comment. "Where is your fifth?" The ancient hologram continued to insist.

"Carter, what the hell is going on here?" Jack looked to Sam for answers.

"I'm not sure, Sir." Sam replied, confusion written across her fair features. "This hologram is very sophisticated… It's as if it is a real, live being." The Major shook her head in awe, "This is amazing, Sir."

"I'm getting that, Major." Jack snapped, "Why does the TV there think we have a fifth member of our team. We have only ever had four."

"It's possible Janus could be referring to Jonas, Sir." Sam knew she was reaching, but she truly had nowhere else to go, logically speaking of course. "Perhaps the device on P3X-673 encountered Jonas in Daniel's memories and drew the conclusion that Jonas was the fifth member of SG-1?" Sam's last statement was more a question than an answer.

Daniel came to the same conclusion and turned to the waiting hologram, "Do you mean Jonas? Jonas Quinn? Daniel shook his head, "He's on Langara. He's no longer with the SGC." Daniel paused again, "He hasn't been for some time."

Janus looked unmoved, "No, the fifth was with you on Athos. Five began, so five must complete the journey to the "Well of Understanding."

"Ahhh, guys, he's got to be referring to Rodney McKay." Daniel pinched his nose slightly exasperated. He had a whole lot of patience, but Rodney put even his vast stores to the test.

"Oh for cryin' out loud!" Jacks shout caused most of SG-1 to jump, even the unflappable Teal'c responded to Jacks loud declaration with a raised eyebrow. "I what do we need that egghead for."

Even the hologram appeared to blink at the Colonels outburst, "Doctor Jackson, you must return and summon the fifth, for your journey will not be complete without him."

Sam's face flushed slightly as she dropped her head into her hands, "Perfect," She moaned, "Just when I thought his ego couldn't get any bigger, the fate of the Universe now rests in him joining our mission… He's going to be even more unbearable after this!" Sam sighed slightly, and wished that there was another way, _any_ other way!

Suddenly, Daniel disappeared, and with him the hologram. The remaining members of SG-1 were once again plunged into darkness, with only the light of their flash lights to illuminate the blackness of the underground room.

"Perfect, just perfect!" Jack muttered to himself, "Couldn't even leave the lights on for us!" Sam's soft sigh and Teal'c's answering "Indeed," were all the assurances the team needed and they settled in to wait for Daniels return.

A

Daniel looked around confused by the sudden change of venue. As the bright light faded, Daniel found himself in the gate room of the SGC… with guns, big guns directed toward him.

"Doctor Jackson? Is that you?" General Hammond's voice came through the loudspeaker, cutting through Daniels disorientation.

"Yes, um… Sir." Daniel responded, "It's me. We need to talk." Daniel absently waved his hand toward the heavily armed soldiers standing in his way.

"Dr. Jackson, where is SG-1?"

"They are safe, sir." Daniel paused thoughtfully, "I think."

"Stand down." General Hammond's order came through loud and clear, and Daniel breathed an audible sigh of relief when the P90's were no longer aimed in his direction. "Daniel, my office, now."

Daniel automatically complied with the Generals order, and made his way through the control room, up the stairs and into Hammond's office.

"Sit down, son. You look a little peaked."

"Thank you, General." Daniel slipped into the chair, thankful for something to solid to hold him up. Daniel jumped immediately into his tale, "We found another Janus hologram. He said that we needed to prove our identities, but before we could proceed, we needed our fifth team member."

"As you well know, SG-1 has never had a fifth member, Doctor Jackson."

"I know that, Sir." Daniel paused, knowing his news would likely be ill received. Before Daniel could continue, the General asked "Did Janus give any indication as to whom he was referring?"

_Out with it, _Daniel thought. "He was referring directly to Rodney McKay. As you know, Rodney was with us during our first encounter with the hologram." Daniel shook his head slowly, "Jack is not happy about it, but it appears that we have no choice but to take him along."

A small twitch at the corner of the General's mouth, betrayed his amusement at the situation in which Cornel O'Neill had found himself. "Well, that is unfortunate." He paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Has this Janus character given you any indication of _why_ he is insisting on McKay being involved in this mission?"

"None whatsoever, General," Daniel continued, "he only insists that the "five" members of SG-1 be present before we can continue." Daniel's frustration at being stonewalled by a hologram – albeit an intelligent one – leaked into his voice.

The General sighed, "This is going to make an already impossible man, ridiculously impossible." He stopped momentarily, "Well, I supposed it is out of our hands. If we want to discover the purpose behind the message, we must comply."

"Is McKay still on base?" Daniel looked to the general, hoping he could supply the answer.

"As far as I know, he is still here. I'll have Walter page him." As Hammond reached to press the intercom, it suddenly came to life.

"I'll page McKay immediately, sir." Walter's voice came loud and confident through the speaker.

Daniel quirked a smile and the General shook his head, "I have worked with Walter for years, and I still don't know how he _does_ that!" Hammond looked to Daniel, "Doctor Jackson, you have a go. Take McKay and return through the gate to rejoin SG-1."

Daniel nodded and turned to go, but General Hammond spoke once more, "Oh, and Daniel… Tell Jack that I expect Doctor McKay back in one piece."

Daniel matched the General's smile, stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "I'll tell him."

It took almost two hours before Doctor McKay declared himself ready to depart the SGC through the Stargate. As Daniel expected, McKay's normally insufferable attitude had multiplied as a result of being inescapably necessary to the mission.

A

Of all of Rodney's reasons for being "needed" it seemed that his favorite was that the ancient Janus _knew_ that the mission simply would not succeed without Rodney's presence and the benefit of his _vast _intelligence. Daniel was pretty sure that the Airman standing near the gate ramp could hear the sarcasm of his unspoken thoughts.

"I just knew this little adventure wasn't over." Rodney exclaimed with a voice of triumph. He gave Daniel a rude, sideways glance, "Even though you thought you could get along without me, the universe knows better."

McKay's smug tone was starting to aggravate Daniel, and that was quite the challenge. Daniel knew that if Rodney didn't alter his behavior, the next days, and possibly weeks would be miserable. Jack would make sure of it. "You know Rodney; there is the possibility that Janus knew one of us may not return." Daniel let the silence hang, "Perhaps you are the one who may not come back."

Rodney's face blanched slightly as he considered _all _the possibilities. He shook his head a little as if to clear away this preposterous idea and said, "Me, _a red-shirt_?" He huffed, "Impossible, I'm too intelligent for that."

Daniel just looked at Rodney with his best imitation of a Jack O'Neill stare. Rodney had gone silent, so Daniel took heart in the fact that he had at least accomplished something. Daniel was soon brought out of his thoughts by the roaring of the event horizon, "Well, McKay, are you ready to face the music?"

McKay hesitated only slightly before following Daniel into the open wormhole.


	7. Sacrifice

Sacrifice

Colonel O'Neill barely noticed the sudden arrival of Doctor McKay in the dark cavern. His only concession to McKay's presence was the quick flick of his eyes towards him before they settled on Daniel. A rat would have warranted more attention. Jack inclined his head slightly towards Daniel, in appreciation of his safe return, even if he did bring _the good doctor_ with him.

Without a doubt Rodney felt the full lack of appreciation SG-1 had for his presence and to cover his discomfort he began to talk. "Well, where is the switch to this hologram? I hear that I was requested by name!" he continued, "Ha! At least the Ancients understand my true-." Rodney's voice trailed off as Jack pinned him with deadly stare.

Slowly O'Neill stood and walked across the inlaid circle, bring to life the hologram once more. "Alright, he's here." Jack knew that the hologram Janus was just that... a hologram. Nothing more than a pre-programmed set of responses to match the movement and responses of the people who activated it, but he was still ticked at the thing. In fact, he was even more irritated _because _of that fact. He couldn't intimidate it, and it certainly couldn't feel his displeasure.

The hologram looked at Jack and continued its earlier speech. "Defenders, you are tasked with protecting the Well of Understanding." Janus paused, looking to each person there as if looking deep into their souls and gauging their worth. "Each of you must first prove your identities through trial before confirming the oath."

"What oath?" Jack interrupted the alien hologram yet again. He stubbornly looked into the eyes of Janus, "We aren't going any further down the rabbit hole, Alice, until I get some answers!"

Sam, Daniel, T'ealc and Rodney looked on as the stare-down of the millennia commenced: Colonel Jack O'Neill vs. Ancient computer hologram. Sadly, the computer won. A crack appeared in the once solid wall behind the hologram. "Let us begin," Janus waved with one arm toward the ever widening opening in the wall.

The team looked to the Colonel for his assent and he sharply inclined his head to indicate they would move forward, "What choice do we have?" he said with a tone of deep resignation as he led the way to the doorway now present in the cavern. SG-1 and McKay found themselves unexpectedly in a room with what appeared to be chaise lounges set in a semi-circle around a Dias at the center of the room.

Though the Janus hologram had no corporeal form, the hologram reappeared in the new location. His voice made Rodney jump slightly when he said, "Be seated. Major Carter, you will be first to have your identity verified. Please step up on the dias for assessment."

Sam looked with some trepidation towards Colonel O'Neill, and he gave her a twisted smile for reassurance. This machine reminded her all to much of Nirti's DNA manipulation machine; she was nervous, but stepped onto the platform like a good soldier.

The machine hummed to life and a soft glow enveloped her body. In front of her, twin holographic images of a DNA strand formed one ladder step at a time. Each step began as yellow, then turned green until the entire sequence had been made. Sam had lost her fear and became fascinated by the experience. Unlike Nirti's little science experiment, Sam didn't feel a change, in fact she felt numb. The glow faded, and Sam swayed slightly as she returned to a semi-awareness of the world around her.

"Are you alright Samantha Carter?" T'ealc's brow raised slightly, the only outward sign of his concern over Major Carter. Jack and Daniel leapt forward to assist her when she swayed again. Rodney remained plastered to his chair, his face void of color.

"She is indeed Major Samantha Carter. This is good news, good news." A soft smile touched Janus's face as he looked almost endearingly at Sam. "I promise you, no harm has come to her. Place her on the couch and she will recover quickly." Jack scowled at him, but Janus had spoken the truth; within moments Sam was looking more like herself.

"Ya think." Jack muttered, as he searched Sam's face for any sign that she may have been hurt in the 'identification procedure'. He saw none, so his tension eased just a bit. He looked at the hologram, frowning to make his displeasure known. A futile effort wasted on a machine, yes, but it made him feel better. "What now?" he asked, slightly unsure that he wanted to hear the answer.

"You must all undergo the identification procedure. Just as with Samantha, it will not harm you," Janus let his gaze rest on Rodney and continued, _"any _of you." One-by-one SG-1 stepped onto the Dias to be tested, while Jack made cracks about "who's your daddy" and "paternity payments."

Finally it was Rodney's turn at bat, and he balked. "You cannot make me get on that thing!" He stammered,"What if it really makes you sterile! or a monster!" He stamped his foot as if that would be end of it, "I have read the mission reports coming out of Stargate Command, I know how bad this could get!"

Jack let him rage a little before clamping his hand like an iron vice on Rodney's shoulder, "I thought that you would chicken out the first opportunity that 'saving the universe' got a little dicey for you. Unlucky for you though, the TV over there say we need you." The Colonel paused and stared hard into Rodney's eyes. "You will do it." The steel in Jack's tone brooked no argument and Rodney McKay meekly took his place on the Dias.

Only moments later, Janus declared that they were indeed who they claimed to be, " Since your identities are conformed, your are authorized to confirm your oaths." On this pronouncement a small pedestal rose from the center of the Dias, "You will find that your oaths are present. You must verify this with your blood." The hologram disappeared and Daniel slowly approached the pedestal.

"Daniel..." The colonel began, "be cautious."

What Daniel noticed first about the pedestal was its simplicity. There were no carvings of any kind on the sides of the cylinder. When he was close enough to see the top he was shocked at what lay there; scrolls. Not a data pad, or stone tablet but faded, fragile, yellow scrolls. "Guys! You have _got _to see this!" Daniel waved them over excitedly.

There were five of them, each had a single letter sealed into the deep red wax that held the scrolls together. Each was labeled with, presumably, the first initial of each team member's last name. "It appears as though each of these scrolls belongs to one of us," Daniel said, "I would assume that the letters correspond with our last names-."

"Ya, well Space Monkey, you know what assuming does..." Jack interrupted with a wry smile.

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued, "I'll open the one with the J first to be sure." Using his USAF issued combat knife, Daniel carefully pulled the wax from the paper and unrolled the scroll. His eyes widened in surprise, "It's in my hand writing!" Daniel looked to the group and they crowded around to get a look ate the weathered paper in his hand.

"What does it say, Doctor Jackson?" T'ealc look inquisitively at Daniel. The document was written in Ancient.

"Well," Daniel paused, "The first line says 'This document is for you alone,' so I'm guessing I should keep the contents to myself." Daniel passed out the other four documents, "I suggest you open these with care."

Each member of the team opened their scroll carefully, ensuring no damage to the contents. Sam was the first to say anything, "Holy Hannah! It's in my hand writing, and also for my eyes only!" she looked slightly stricken, "I just have to ask... Could this be some sort of elaborate trap, a hoax maybe?"

"Mine too is in my hand, Major Carter." T'ealc frowned slightly, "While we have experienced elaborate set-ups before, I believe it would be difficult for someone to duplicate my handwriting in G'ould so perfectly."

"Mine's well... Mine." Colonel O'Neill put in, "What about yours, McKay?" Up until this moment, since the revelation of the scrolls, McKay had not had much to say. Even with the Colonel's prompt, he remained silent, his face a mask of confusion. "McKay!" O'Neill snapped.

"Ummm. Yes. It's mine." Rodney glanced down quickly. "Do your letters tell you to place your thumbs on the seal?" Rodney asked, significantly subdued from his earlier behavior. A chorus of yes's was his answer.

Daniel responded, "Yes, 'Verify your oath with blood, place your thumb on the seal." Daniel glanced at the seal, then up at the team. "if you agree with whatever is written in your hand writing, you should place your thumb on the seal." Daniel paused a momentand frowned, "I don't have any idea what will happen if we don't agree."

In unspoken agreement, all members of SG-1 and Rodney McKay placed their thubs on the seal of their documents and hoped for the best.


End file.
